Steve Barclay and John Fish, the representative for Thorney Toll on the Parish Council, when the issue was raised last year

Roads Minister, Mike Penning MP, has confirmed today that a new sign will be installed on the A47 next to Thorney Toll Village Hall.

I am delighted to report the good news, which arrived today in a letter from the Minister (included at the base of this post). The letter confirms that the Highways Agency have been instructed to install the signage at their own cost and that the new sign is to be expected by this time next year. Today’s news follows a number of meetings and letters between myself, the Highways Agency and the roads Minister, Mike Penning MP and is excellent news for the residents of Thorney Toll, who can look forward to a critical improvement to road safety after a year of campaigning.

I am delighted that this particular battle has been won, but I remain concerned about the broader value-for-money issue surrounding the costs involved. Regular readers of my blog will be familiar with the long running saga, set out in earlier blogs of 7th March, 1st November, 9th September, and 30th April and may recall that the initial quote for the signage was given at £30,000 (including £12,000 in “design costs”). Given the number of schemes undertaken by the Highways Agency, inflated costs have a significant cumulative impact to the taxpayer and I will be keeping a close interest in the matter.